


Grains of Maize, Grains of Rice

by handschuhmaus



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Mix-Ups, and a space-Indian buffet, oddly exact translations of existing cuisine to the GFFA, the Dark Side seduction of Master Dooku, yes there's a space burrito place
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-06
Updated: 2018-03-10
Packaged: 2019-03-29 14:38:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13929147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/handschuhmaus/pseuds/handschuhmaus
Summary: Due to a scheduling error, Anakin has a lunch appointment with the wrong politician.Due to either the same error or arguably a compounding thereof, Padme has lunch with the wrong Jedi.





	Grains of Maize, Grains of Rice

**Author's Note:**

> (Yes, I realize now I somehow accidentally switched tenses roughly midway through the chapter, but I don't really want to go through fixing all of it right now.)

"Contain your excitement, Padawan," Obi-Wan Kenobi instructed. He suspected that Anakin had a long dormant crush on the future queen, but he really didn't have solid grounds to deny the new senator's request.

"She said we could have lunch at the new burrito place," Anakin babbled obliviously. "I just need to call her office and make the appointment."

* * *

Sarai was about to give up on determining what calls were for who. Normally the Naboo embassy didn't get that many calls, but she was taking calls for four different purposes and the junior Core-worlds ambassador couldn't even ask the ambassador proper to take some of his own calls, given he was both off-world and in a meeting. There were the routine calls for the embassy (some of which needed redirection to the Bureau of Tourism), and calls to the Ambassador regarding his champion nerf (who knew people got that enthusiastic about nerfs?), but she had also agreed to take the many calls requesting appointments with their new Senator, since her office manager had delivered her (darling!) baby a couple weeks early and so taken unexpected maternity leave, and she had more reluctantly agreed to manage the Chancellor's appointments for the next few hours, since his secretary had a rare opportunity to visit with his ailing parents on Coruscant.

She had two personal schedules open and the embassy calendar and the tourism links, and here was another call, priority.

"Have I reached Senator Amidala's office?" asked a boyish, excited voice. If Sarai hadn't known better, she would have thought it was a little brother or cousin of Padme's.

"Yes. If you are trying to make an appointment, do you have an auth code?"

"Yes. BX762-CN458." It checked out in the system, and even had a preferred restaurant associated. If you didn't have an auth code given you by the senator, you'd have to present credentials and possibly wait a few weeks before your case could be assessed. 

Sarai tabbed over to a schedule. "What would be a good time for you? Tomorrow at lunch is free."

"That would be fine."

"Then I'll put you in. I'll forward the location details to you."

Almost as soon as she hung up, the comm rang again. "I would like to schedule a standing lunch appointment with the Chancellor," said a gruff, and likely disguised voice. "Authorization LD65089." 

Sarai almost told him that it wasn't possible to schedule a repeating lunch appointment; the Chancellor was simply too busy. But then she examined the details of the auth code and realized that it was attached to an "up to once a month or as renewed" meeting permit with associated locations.

Checking to make sure she didn't schedule this individual to also meet with Senator Amidala, she found an opening at the same time in the other schedule.

"Would lunch tomorrow be acceptable?"

"Yes, location B."

Sarai filled in these details on the permit, which should update his file, and added the meeting to the schedule. "You're set, sir."

"Thank you."

* * *

Anakin got to the burrito place, in a corner of the political district, early, and decided to go ahead and order and grab a table, since the place didn't take reservations and it was getting busy.

"Make me one with everything," he joked to the server.

Catlin--that was her nametag-- granted him a grudging half smile combined with a grimace. "You have to tell me what kind of thing you want. Also we just plain can't do more than three meats, so that's the maximum you're getting."

"Uh, okay. Just um, a--" he decides it might be more polite to eat with utensils in front of _former queen Padme Amidala_ "bowl with your...braised nerf and all the toppings."

"Beans?" Catlin asks him in a bored tone.

"Both kinds, sure."

She pauses again at the salsa area. "You don't mind hot?"

"As in spicy, no." In a couple minutes he picks up his bowl and pays with his petty credits chip, the one that has a few credits for meals and such when they are associated with Jedi activities. After all, he's actually meeting Padme to discuss the on-Coruscanti-streets Jedi perspective on some of the items she wants to put in a bill she's involved in drafting.

* * *

At the end of the morning, Senator Amidala emerged weary and hoarse from a lengthy season reviewing some proposed revisions of the penal code with Senator Organa, who was fast becoming a friend.

"Where to?" she asked the chauffeur droid, LT-24. She had blocked out some possible appointments for the next few hours, then she would spend most of the afternoon reviewing appeals from her constituents and go to a gala at the Eriadu embassy in the evening. It was a demanding schedule.

"You have a lunch appointment, sena-tor Ami-dala," Eltee had a set vocabulary of known words and made its best attempt at pronouncing others. "In the business district."

That was odd. She couldn't remember telling anyone to meet her in the business district. In fact, this appointment ought to be either the Naboo ambassador, or Anakin Skywalker, and she hadn't said business district to either of them. But perhaps the boy from Tattoine had misunderstood or the burrito place had a less busy branch there...

However, Eltee pulled up to the door of a buffet specializing in a certain regional cuisine and serving mostly spiced stews and rice dishes. It seemed to be a discrete sort of place, the type of out-of-the-way restaurant where businessbeings might meet their rivals or lovers.

"You have a reservation for table DA-42," Eltee informed her, ejecting a reprintable flimsi ticket.

She presents the ticket and goes over to the buffet, where she samples almost all of the main dishes, holding back at a flatbread that was scented wonderfully with garlic in the interests of not possibly offending Anakin's nose. Everything smells very good.

There is a thin embroidered curtain in front of the table, one with booths tucked in by the wall, and she lifts it and begins to greet him, saying "Ana-" _-kin, it's so nice to see you_ , only she bites off the first half of his name.

Because it is not a young Jedi padawan awaiting her, but an older man dressed in a dark brown version of their typical garb. Had the Jedi decided they would be better served by giving her a session with a Master? But she really wanted the views of a young man who is still a bit curious about Coruscsnt and wanders around, not the official perspective.

He doesn't speak for a moment, then greets her "Senator Amidala. I am unfamiliar with greetings on your home world, but I have to wonder if you were expecting someone else. Perhaps at another table?"

She rechecks the table, still holding her plate. "No, this is the right table, but I _was_ expecting someone else. Do you mean the Jedi Council didn't send you in his stead?"

"I am not here on official business, Senator, merely to meet at an accustomed place with a longtime friend. Who does happen to be a politician. I can't explain why you came here. I am Master Dooku," he says, unfailingly polite. 

Padme glances down at her comm, but then longingly at the food. "Should I--go? Eat with you?"

He considers for a moment. "I will send my friend a comm message--perhaps you should do the same of your intended dining companion, and for the time being, yes, we may as well go ahead and eat together."

* * *

Anakin was a little startled to see Chancellor Palpatine enter the restaurant, place an order with his miniPadd at the station and then pick up said order after a few minutes. What was he doing here?

Palpatine, for his part, had had the luxury of spending most of the morning in self-directed work except for a brief meeting with an old political friend over the not very stressful matter of routinely reviewing law-translation policies. And unlike Padme, as yet, he had downloaded his schedule to his Padd. It did hold surprises at times--for instance he had expressed a wish to Dooku to see him again yet that appointment hadn't been made (had the man been sent out on assignment?) and he had no idea what Anakin Skywalker might want to see him about just now, but he wanted to be friends with the boy and _had_ left the instruction that Anakin might make an appointment without justification, as long as the Chancellor was not extraordinarily busy.

"Hello, Anakin, my boy, what did you wish to talk about?"

The Jedi Padawan froze. Perhaps the matter was personal or sensitive.


End file.
